Happy Halloween to all my Ghosts and Goblins...

Wow--can you believe it is October 31?! Paul's last day at St. Mark Pre School was yesterday. I will write more about the BIG meeting yesterday, but suffice to say--we are deeply disheartened and sad about the outcome. Especially since we are of the same faith!

Anywho, Paul and I are leaving shortly to meet my friend Donna for lunch. We worked together 7 years ago at Frost Insurance. She now works at Wells Fargo and loves it. I have not seen here in many months. We had to reschedule this lunch date numerous times...and mostly b/c St. Mark's doesn't know how to teach ALL kids!

Tonight we are going to some friends--Jena and Philip--for some neighborhood games and a parade of all the little ones. We went last year and had a grand time. Paul is an eccentric elephant..look for pics tomorrow!

It is a beautiful day here in San Antonio. Blue sky, sun, light breeze and somewhere in the 60's or low 70's. Love it, love it, love it!!!!

Peace be with you friends....

Weekend Adventures

Saturday and Sunday took Danny and I up to Comfort, TX - in the Texas Hill Country. We met up with our team for our annual retreat. We have been a member of an awesome couples ministry called Teams of Our Lady. There are six Catholic couples and we stayed at a lovely B&B called The Meyer Bed and Breakfast. We are very fortunate to have many friends in San Antonio who can and are willing to watch Paul...since we have no family in town to assist with that task. Meliza Wise, who is also our 9:30Am Mass cantor, came early Sat morning to be here with Paul for the rest of the weekend. She is married with 2 wonderful children who I stay with from time to time. You see--it's a swap thing! They don't have family in town either. So it works well for all of us.

The morning session of our retreat was about listening, communication and developing a family mission statement. We started working on our family mission statement and plan to refine it during the week and have one completed by next Sunday. Here we go... "As a family, we will serve the Lord by living a grace and joy filled life. We will strengthen our relationship through family prayer and by bringing our family and others closer to God." We also want to include something about being committed to continual spiritual and intellectual growth - as a family. The idea is to create one, post it somewhere in your home and revisit it every year. It will probably change over time. And as Paul gets older--he can be included in helping to create it. A nice scripture for this is Ephesians 5:21, 25-33.

Also, we talked about communicating pitfalls to avoid with your spouse: garbage dumping (bringing up old hurts), Giving YOU messages, Blaming, using critical judgement, interrupting while your spouse is sharing/communicating, expecting your spouse to change because you shared your feelings, short changing the time together by not spending the full time talking about and continuing to draw out/explore the feeling.And we talked about guidelines for fighting fair for our relationship...b/c that is what we are all doing in our married lives....everything should be FOR OUR relationship...not against it. :-) One point we discussed...."fight for clarification, not to win. If I win a fight then I am sleeping with a loser."
And naturally, we talked about forgiveness in a marriage. This one item will give you the freedom from the bitterness which pollutes lives and marriages.

Then we had 2 1/2 hours for a lunch "date" with our spouse. Of course also included 30 min of shopping in the cute town of Comfort! We went to a nice little restaurant called The Hen House Cafe. I had a yummy Reuben sandwich and Danny had a juicy hamburger. Very delicious!

Back to the B&B for our afternoon session with our couple friends - the topic-- MONEY. And not about how to budget and save..but attitudes towards money. I will write about this while Paul is napping--right now I have to get back to the little dude..I think he is tearing up the family room. :-)

Getting back to our retreat--we talked about how to be a faithful steward. Vicki and George had this awesome book they used for our afternoon session. Danny and I are going to purchase it....around $13. I recommend it for all married couples...and even singles! Putting Money in its Place by Doug Britton. It's part of series on books/bible studies for couples. Good stuff!
From Psalm 24:1, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."
Some basic principles from the book which we discussed at our retreat:
*Acknowledge God's Ownership - God owns everything--your house, cars, clothes, toys, books, etc.
*Work diligently - with a positive attitude; avoid get rich schemes; balance work and rest
*Be trustworthy - be honest on the job; be honest as a couple
*Take care of your possessions - they belong to God
**Remember that God gave you the strength and talent to make money!!!!

And more goodies from the afternoon....

Love God, Not Money - recognize you are citizens of heaven, be aware of the dangers of wealth, realize it is possible to be Godly and wealthy

Be content - get your contentment from God, not circumstances, resist envy and greed, do not give up if you suffer a financial setback

From Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Oh and if you do read my ramblings from time to time--please leave a comment now and then--even if you simply say hi! Thank you!!

Paul is busy with all kinds of new women in his life....

If you are an adult male---don't you wish you could say that?! Ha

Seriously though, many of you know that our little boy has had some challenges. And while a little bit might be 2 year old things, the majority of his issues is due to a disorder: Sensory Integration. While he doesn't have ALL the symptoms, he does exhibit many and as a result, a local nonprofit in SA is helping him and us--and his teachers. Thank God for people and places like Brighton. Paul has 2 occupational therapists, one speech therapist, a social worker (helping us with his pre school) and a nutritionist. Whew---all lovely, caring, talented and supportive women! DeeDee (an occup therapist) visited us at home recently and gave me what is called a Therapressure Brush--see above. You rub it on Paul's arms, legs and back only and as you "brush" him - put some pressure/muscle into it. Dang--it works like a charm to calm him down. If you have ever had a massage---you know how it calms you and puts you in a trance -- does the same for my little boy.

The first step of the involves providing deep pressure to the skin on the arms, back, and legs through the use of a special surgical brush. An appropriate analogy would be that it is like giving someone a deep massage using a surgical brush. The use of the brush in a slow and methodical manner provides consistent deep-pressure input to a wide area of the skin surface on the body. The face and stomach are never brushed.
Following the "massage" stage, the child receives gentle compressions to the shoulders, elbows, wrists/fingers, hips, knees/ankles, and sternum. These compressions provide substantial proprioceptive input. our goal is for children to no longer illustrate sensory defensiveness which interferes with normal development.

For Paul---should help him deal with other children encroaching in his space.....dealing better with large groups of people and sudden, loud noises. Possibly help him to be less of a picky eater...the need to put everything in his mouth...I could go on and on! Another item we need to try and use at home and in school - Bendeez. Paul can fidget with them and chew on them and therefore might not distract teachers or peers in classroom. And another tool is called the DRIVE THRU MENU cards. It is truly amazing how much is out there to help us parents who are dealing with this issue. Thank goodness I am not working outside the home, or I would not have the time to do all this therapy for Paul and researching and reading and learning in order to help my son. One thing is for certain-- the teachers and staff at St. Mark's need to redirect ANY negative vibes/feelings/thoughts or frustrations...because my little boy senses it and reacts to it. And I might add--reacts in a not so nice manner. Which then only gets the teachers more anxious and all that comes with those feelings. Paul needs calm people around him. And yes, I can be calm those of you who are wondering.... I have seen dramatic changes in Paul over the last 2 months with Mommy remaining more calm and collected.

I need to do some chores around here while Paul is napping. Thanks for reading and I ask for your support and prayers as we continue to move forward with all this and hope it will help Paul and he can develop/grow and attend a Catholic University...oh is that too much pressure for a 2 year old?! :-)

Blessings and joy to all of you!

Even More on Class Reunion..keep reading...

So tonight was GNO. For the new readers of my blog--GNO=Girls Night Out. Every Wed night at 7pm. It was an early evening though as us Mommies were tired. My usual 2 beers went down easy though....and the third was lurking nearby, but I did have to drive home don't you know!

Above are some pictures taken Sat night at my class reunion. Brian Belgeri and his lovely, and very sweet wife, Myra. Don't they make a nice couple?! He got lucky! The other picture is of Elaine, Suzy and Colleen. Elaine was my maid of honor in my first wedding--back in 1992. For those who don't know (which prob isn't many)--John was abusive, we divorced and he was murdered in 1996-and no, I did not do it. Suzy and I were joined at the hip a lot in high school. I picked her and Robbie up everyday for school during our junior year. Suzy was a dancing fool--like me and we also both loved Magic 108 and groups like Shalamar, Midnight Star, Klymaxx, etc. The third lovely gal is Colleen. She was so cute and fun to be around in high school and she is still the same! She lives in WI, while the other 2 gals live in the STL area. Danny heard some interesting stories about high school days and Susan's mustangs...... Not to be repeated here of course...!!!!

The talk among the ladies at the reunion--Tom Fischer! Ladies--you know what I'm talkin about! And nice to see that some things don't change..one gentleman..who will remain nameless for now---was pretty drunk and at the end of the night, when all the lights came on the ballroom, he was stooped over in a chair looking pretty green. I later heard he did puke--but in a respectable place -- thank goodness! So much more to mention -- but I will close tonight with the AFTER PARTY at Helen Fitzgerald's-- is that right?! I think so.....but I am not familiar with the part of town we were in---so off a group of us went. Get this -- the big doorman, yeah, you're right--he did not wish to see any of our ID's---hello?! We are all hot and good looking people here...but I guess he knew....UGH! When we walked in---you guessed it--I think I could have been the Mom to many of the patrons. This is the really crazy thing--it was 12:30 or so and the bar closed at 1am--WHAT? Never heard of such a thing. Myra said the bars in the CITY of St Louis close at 3--so what we were doing there?! More fun conversation and silliness.......I don't know who was being silly -- ok, me. Ask Myra what Susan was doing as the young men walked past her on their way out...?! Thankfully, Danny is cool and doesn't mind (too much) me being silly. I did not want the night to end........it was kind of a weird feeling. I don't want to wait 5 years to see all of these people again.

As usual--I will sign off with a little inspiration/motivation:

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

God created this day, and it is up to each one of us to rejoice and be grateful. We give thanks to Him when we treasure each day and use it to the fullest. Whatever the rest of this day holds for you.....always keep God as your partner and Jesus Christ as your Savior. Continue to count your blessings. Each one of you is special and a blessing to me. AMEN

More on Reunion Weekend in STL

So, here we go---Friday night was a Happy Hour planned by Dean Gallagher. He wasn't going to make it Sat night--his sister was getting married--so he wanted to organize something. Thankfully, he kept his word and planned a fun night. The event was held at Lucas School House in the Soulard area in St. Louis. http://www.lucasschoolhouse.com/ I had not been to that part of the city in probably over 10 years. Way cool indeed! Above are 2 of my favorite pics from that night -- everyone looked so good and they were so fun! I wore my new jeans, my silver 4 inch sexy heels and a new shirt from The Gap. Minus the 25 extra pounds and triple chins--I looked pretty decent! :-)

I started off with a Michelob Ultra--but the dang beer was lukewarm and I only had about half. Then I moved on to Crown and Coke--oh yeah, they were out of Crown. Eeee ho le! So I think the drink was Jack and Diet Coke. Lots of alcohol for sure! But with all the talking and laughing, most of the drink got watered down and I was on to the next one -- but same thing. Too busy to drink really. In between I had water and some of Danny's pop. I learned so many things that night about events in high shcool that I either didn't recall, or simply never heard about back then. And news on what lots of people (who weren't there that night) were doing and who they were doing...oh yeah..interesting stuff mainard! I got to meet some husbands and wives--all very nice and out going and lovely to attend this incredible weekend with the wild class from John F. Kennedy Catholic High School - Class of 1987!

We headed back to Dad and Jean's around 11pm. Danny was pretty sick with a bad head cold and I wanted to get him into bed....wink wink! He enjoyed meeting my classmates and he especially enjoyed his visit with Ed Morganthaler. He lives in the Dallas area and works for Union Pacific-I think. My radio DJ classmate, Rich Berra, was present along with his lovely and fun wife Kristy. He has a successful morning show in Phoenix/Tuscon. He rocks dudes! We talked about who we had crushes on and all that good stuff. I really had a crush on one guy in our class, but after sophomore year, he left and went to a public school. I don't ever recall ever kissing a guy from my class either--at least not during high school. A certain classmate had my lips for a few months in 1989 or 1990--cannot recall exactly. I am getting old remember.... And one guy in my class had 3 brothers--and I did kiss one of them.....when I was a freshman and Mike was a sophomore.

The above picture is me, Rich Berra and Shannon Fox Oliveri. Rich was sort of a geek in high school..but always nice and funny. Shannon was also a nice gal who played sports. The other picture - Keith, Becky, Nino, Jenny and Shannon. I love this pic - check out Nino's eyebrow?! In our slideshow DVD that Jamie and Suzy put together--Nino is in pictures with girls....all the girls! So cute and fun to be around. I met his wife briefly--she is beautiful!

I am not feeling too great today -- maybe Danny has passed along his cold. UGH! I still have lots to say about Saturdays night's reunion event....until we meet again friends.....

I leave you with this challenge...... refine your life.... unleash your Spirit!

Back Home from High School Reunion!

Whew---a whirlwind weekend, but oh so fun and memorable. I am about to feed Paul some dinner and hope to write a lot more about this weekend later tonight...if not, then tomorrow while Paul is in school. Can I just say how pretty St. Louis is....hills and lots of trees! And I do mean tons of trees--compared to San Antonio! I just about cried when I saw my old friend Kathy Casper. She and I had a special bond for a couple of years and I have not seen her in 20 years. She is still tall and pretty and teaches third grade in Columbia, Missouri--home to the Mizzou Tigers. My friends Jamie and Suzy who planned and orchestrated the reunion looked phenomenal! They are both so pretty and fun to be around. Although, I did not get to spend much time with either one, so I guess I need to go back to STL and hang with them..and their very cool husbands! Brian Belgeri was still handsome and has a very cute, sweet and outgoing wife--Myra. I really liked her a lot and told Danny--see, if we lived in STL, we could hang out with them from time to time. They have 2 small boys and I might add--very handsome little boys.

Paul needs me....but I will leave you with these tidbits -- no, I did not get drunk either night, and so there was no puking. I am sure Danny was happy about that! And Suzy Halley Guccione (one of my best friends in high school) asked me to say the blessing -- you know---15-20 minutes beforehand. Naturally I said yes, even though you know how shy I am.....right?! I thought about what I wanted to say and decided, "great--this is the perfect moment to thank Jamie and Suzy for all their efforts in planning and hosting our reunion..." after the prayer of course. And yes, it happened, dementia set in and after the prayer, I forgot to acknowledge them and I felt so bad. So, Jamie and Suzy-- we all appreciate you taking on the challenge of dealing with our 20 year reunion and all of us crazy classmates all over the country. It was a grand ol time and we thank you very much! I will help plan the 25 year reunion. Can we have it at a casino?! :-)

As we said in the 80's -- Ain't that a kick in the butt? Al Calavicci on Quantum Leap.
And Ay oh- oh ay...Tony Micelli on Who's the Boss?.

Missing Girls Night Out..Ho Hum

Tonight is GNO, but Danny is in Dallas for 2 days and so I stayed home getting things ready for our trip to St. Louis this weekend. Here's something interesting - my classmate, Dan, lives here in SA--works for AT&T. Well, he and his little family are on the same flight as us Friday morning. So, we will see one another bright and early in 2 days. I told him today on the phone, "dang, now I have to look cute!" We both said--we'll be the ones with the screaming kid! His daughter is one, but I have a feeling Paulie is a little louder than a sweet princess named Lauren. If you live in SA, stay away from Terminal 2 Friday morning! Two wild classmates and 2 toddlers will be present!

Had bible study this morning. Discussed Revelation Chapters 8, 9 and 10 (I think). A good small group discussion. I left early and missed the large group meeting. Ya know, had important things to do before my reunion.....manicure, pedicure, bank, etc. I did some packing today. You see, I am an accessory girl. And so it takes me a while to determine which accessories to bring. The right jewelry, shoes and purses. All the while trying to limit what I bring. I do pretty well most of the time. But I do have lots of cute jewelry! That and my makeup is ready. And the bare essentials, and I have already laid out most of Paul's clothes. The portable DVD player is charging for the plane ride; my IPOD is charging and my camera battery is charged and ready!

Oh, and I have to say this...my Alma Mater is the ONLY Big 12 school undefeated in football! University of Kansas...ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK baby! We are 6-0! We play Colorado this Saturday in Boulder. I might get to watch the first half before we have to leave for my reunion. I wonder if Suzy and Jamie will provide a TV for me to watch the game?! Probably not.....I know who I can call to find out the final score......geez, am I part male or what?!

Danny has a client who passed away yesterday. So sad. Please pray for her soul and for peace and strength for her family. Her name is Gaye and lived in Arlington. Danny met with her children this afternoon. Her daughter was going thru some pictures and came across the Christmas pic of Paul just as Danny was pulling up to the house. She said...he looks like you (to Danny) and he said, oh no..my wife. He showed her my pic and she said..."oh yes, he looks like Susan." :-) And we know he has my spirit and strong willed tendencies. Danny has a seminar in Dallas tomorrow from 9-2 and then he is on his way back...hopefully, to attend his CFP class. But he might not make it and just come home.

Bit of information for you as I sign off and head to bed......
Did you know our Founding Fathers chose the Eagle as our country's bird b/c it is the ONLY bird who can fly through a storm?! YUP!!!. I remembered this today as we were discussing something in bible study, but I didn't get the chance to share it with my group.

May His Light shine upon you each and every day! Take comfort in knowing that God is present in your life, available to meet every situation with you, that you are never left to face any problem alone.